1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image pickup device and image synthesizing method. More particularly, the present invention relates to an image pickup device with which images can be synthesized easily, and an image synthesizing method in which images being picked up can be edited readily and easily.
2. Description Related to the Prior Art
Electronic image pickup devices include an image pickup unit. Examples of such devices include a digital still camera, a handset of a cellular phone, PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), and the like. Examples of pickup elements in the image pickup unit are CCD, CMOS and the like. Those are simple constructions for electronically photographing images of objects. Specifically, the cellular phone has a body in which the image pickup unit is used to pick up an image of an object. A display panel of the cellular phone is driven to display the image for checking or simulation. Also, the cellular phone is capable of wireless transmitting the image data of the image to one other external terminal of communication.
JP-A 2000-253118 discloses a handset of a cellular phone having a single image pickup unit. U.S. Pub. No. 2003/036,365 (corresponding to JP-A 2003-060765) discloses the cellular phone having two image pickup units directed in different directions.
One type of a handset of a cellular phone includes a single image pickup unit. Some user wishes to pick up a person and the user himself or herself. To this end, the user directs the cellular phone to the person to pick up an image of the person. Then the user directs the cellular phone to himself or herself to pick up an image of a self-portrait.
Another type of handset of a cellular phone has a body, a first of the image pickup units on a front face of the body, and a second of the image pickup units on a rear face of the body directed to a user. At first, the first image pickup unit is driven to pick up an image of the person. Then the second image pickup unit is driven to pick up an image of the user. With this type of the cellular phone having the image pickup units directed in the two directions, it is possible to photograph the user and the person without changing the orientation of the image pickup unit. Images of the person and the user are separately displayed on the display panel.
It is necessary for the user to hold the handset of a cellular phone manually by a hand. The user cannot be photographed at the same time as the person in the view field. In the cellular phone according to the prior art and having the two image pickup units, a selecting operation is required for designating a selected one of the two image pickup units directed to the front and to the rear. Taking a photograph at the same time for the person and the user is impossible.
If a user wishes to take a group photograph with a number of persons, there is a problem in the handset of a cellular phone. The user holding the cellular phone cannot join the group of the persons to be photographed. It is certain that the user can be photographed separately. However, the image of the group photograph of the persons is separate from the image obtained by photographing the user. No known technique of the cellular phone can provide solution of this problem. Other types of image pickup devices, such as a digital still camera, have the same problem.